robertson



Feb. 14, 1956 F. H. ROBERTSON 2,734,705

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING BOMBS AND THE LIKE IN AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 11,- 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet. l

Feb. 14, 1956 F. H. ROBERTSON 2,734,705

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING BOMBS AND THE LIKE IN AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 11, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING BOMBS AND THE LIKE IN AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 11. 1950 w 4, 1956 F. H. ROBERTSON 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A A A Feb. 14, 1956 F. H. ROBERTSON APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING BOMBS AND THE LIKE IN AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 11, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 WWW MN m. k .n H n l l| I lH H" H H unf lflnl l l l l i H n l l l l hu HHH I I I I HI I I Q I N I IHH MWh l I I I I I I I I'I I I MH H M w -v m wi V I I o L I l u Feb. 14, 1956 F. H. ROBERTSON 2,734,705

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING BOMBS AND THE LIKE IN AIRCRAFT Filed Opt. 11, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 APPARATUS 'FoR MOUNTING BOMBS AND LIKE 1 AIRCRAFT "Frank Henry Robertson, -Carisbroo'k'e, Isle-oflWightQas- 'signor -to "Saunders-Roe Limited, Osborne, England Application Gctober 11, 1950, Serial No. 189,617

4 Claims. (Cl. 244-137) The dropping of large bombs or torpedoes from a flying boat presents a difiicult problem. It is hardly practicable to drop such bombs through the keel, owing to the difliculty of designing watertight doors for closing the hole in the keel and the structural difficulties of providing a sufliciently large hole. Running the bombs out from the hull onto Outriggers beneath the wings is only practicable for small bombs.

According to the invention, one or more large bombs, torpedoes or like missiles are carried in crutches on the inner face of a door in the side of the hull, which door is arranged to pivot about its upper edge into a spanwise, or nearly spanwise, bomb discharge position. By crutches is meant mountings for releasably supporting the portions of the missiles nearest the door so that, when the door is open, the missiles will be suspended from the crutches Preferably, in order to facilitate loading of the bombs from a boat, the crutches are supported on a tray which is capable of projection from the door in a lengthwise direction, after the door has been opened.

Where two large bombs are supported side by side on the tray, the outboard bomb can be brought into position to be dropped by merely opening the door. Usually, however, it will be necessary also to project the tray to bring the inboard bomb into position for dropping.

One specific embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through the hull of the flying boat, showing how the bombs are hoisted into position,

Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of the portion of the deck of the hull between the bomb doors,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IVIV in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detail view, looking in the direction of the arrow X in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VIVI in Fig. 5.

Referringfirst of all to Fig. 1, the hull 10 of the flying boat is provided at each side with bomb carrying doors 11, these doors being hinged to the hull at their upper ends for movement about longitudinal axes 12. Each door 11.

carries a tray 13, fitted with crutches 14 for supporting the bombs 15. Each tray 13 can be slid on its associated door 11, as later described, between the retracted posi-.

tion shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1 and the projected position shown at the left hand side of that figure. When a bombdoor 11 is in the open position, shown at the left'hand side of Fig. 1, it is at level convenient for loading by an operator standing on the deck 16. As

shown, loading may be accomplished by means of a portable winch 17. Lifting straps 22 fitted to the cable 18 of the winch are attached to the bombs in the vessel 19 by another operator in that vessel.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, longitudinal guide rails 20 are provided on the tray 13 along which the inner portion 21 of the winch 17 may slide. The tray 13 is adapted to carry two bombs side by side, and the winch is nited States Paten 2,734,705 Patented feb. 14, 1956 shown in Figs. '1, 5 and 6 hoisting the inboard bomb. A pawl 23 on the which engages a notch in one of the guide rails 20 so "as to locate the Winch 'in loading position. The winch is telescopic, and can be "extended so that its pawl 23 may engage a similar notch, not shown, in one o'fthe guide rails so as'to locate the winch in theoutboard loading position.

As will be seen, the doors 11 are movable from a closed position -to an open bomb dischargepositi'on {in which t'hey'extend substantially parallel to the span of the wings 40. The mechanism for opening and closing the doors '11 and for moving the tray 13 'frornretracte'dto projected position is-s'hown in Figs. '2-4.

The mechanism associated --with the righthand door will here be described, that associated with the left hand door being precisely similar. Parts associated with the left hand door bear the same reference numerals as corresponding parts associated with the right hand door, plus the suffix a.

To opposite sides of the right hand door 11 are pivoted, at 24, a pair of struts 25. The other ends of the struts 25 are pivoted, at 26, to carriages 27, each attached to a cable 28, extending transversely to thedoor and running over pulleys 29, 30. The pulley 29 is driven, through a gear box 31, from a longitudinal shaft 32 which, in turn, is driven by a reversible electric motor 33. Consequently the door can be opened or closed by the motor 33.

The tray 13 of the right hand door carries at each side a nut 34, engaging a screw 35 mounted on the door. The screws 35, are geared, by bevel gears, 36, to a shaft 37 which is rotatable by a reversible electric motor 38, through a gear box 39, for the purpose of moving the tray 13 from retracted to projected position and vice versa.

By the method of stowage according ot the invention it is possible to accommodate in the hull and to discharge eflectively missiles of length of the order of 20 ft.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a flying boat having wings and a hull, a door in the side of the hull which is hinged to the hull at its upper edge, means for moving said door upwardly and outwardly in relation to said hull from a closed position to an open position in which it extends substantially parallel to the wings, a tray mounted to slide on the door, a power operated screw jack on said door for moving said tray in relation to said door, when said door is open, in a direction transverse to the hull and, mounted on said tray, at least one crutch for supporting an elongated missile extending in the fore and aft direction of the hull.

2. In a flying boat having wings and a hull, a door in the side of the hull which is hinged to the hull at its upper edge, means for moving said door upwardly and outwardly in relation to said hull from a closed position to an open position in which it extends substantially parallel to the wings, a tray mounted to slide on the door, a power operated screw jack on said door for moving said tray in relation to said door, when said door is open, in a direction transverse to the hull and, mounted side by side on the tray, a pair of crutches for supporting elongated missiles extending in the fore and aft direction of the hull.

3. In a flying boat having wings and a hull, a door in .the side of the hull which is hinged to the hull at its upper v 3 longitudinal guideway on the tray for guiding a missile hoisting winch, said guideway being notched to locate said winch in alternative positions appropriate for hoisting missiles into the two crutches.

4. In a flying boat having wings and a hull, a door in the side of the hull which is hinged to the hull at its upper edge so that it may be moved from a closed position to an open position in which it extends substantially parallel to the wings, a pair of spaced cables within the hull, one cable being adjacent to one side of the door and the other cable being adjacent to the other side of the door, means for guiding said cables for movement transversely to said hull, a pair of carriages, one attached to each cable, a pair of struts pivoted respectively to said carriages and pivoted at their other ends to opposite sides of said door, power means for imparting simultaneous movement to said cables to move said door about its hinge through the agency of said carriages and struts, and,

mounted on the inner face of the door, at least one crutch for supporting an elongated missile extending in the fore and aft direction of the hull.

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,141,181 Geddes Dec. 27, 1938 2,273,724 Nelson et al Feb. 17, 1942 2,343,638 Bock Mar. 7, 1944 2,411,647 Bonnell et al Nov. 26, 1946 2,520,317 Laddon et al Aug. 29, 1950 2,529,908 Bortner Nov. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 428,934 Great Britain May 15, 1935 554,434 Great Britain July 5, 1943 556,933 Great Britain Oct. 28, 1943 

